5 Ottawa family members have confirmed measles cases

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is warning the public about possible measles exposures at two churches, after family members contracted measles.

The health unit announced Tuesday that five Ottawa residents who are all related have confirmed measles infections.

“OPH is directly notifying individuals who may have been exposed to the measles virus, where contact information is available,” the health unit said.

“This public service announcement is intended to reach individuals who may have been exposed but could not be reached directly or whose contact information was incomplete or unavailable.”

The health unit says the five people with measles visited the following locations in Ottawa.

St. Clement Parish at Saint Anne Church at 528 Old St. Patrick Street.

• Sunday, Oct. 12, between 10:20 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• People are asked to monitor for symptoms until Sunday, Nov. 2

St. George’s Parish at 415 Piccadilly Avenue

• Monday, Sept. 28, to Thursday, Oct. 2, daily between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
• Health officials recommend monitoring symptoms until Thursday, Oct. 23.

The health unit says you should monitor for symptoms for 21 days from your date of exposure, even if you are vaccinated.

Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, white spots in the mouth, and red watery eyes that may be sensitive to light. They can appear up to 21 days after exposure but usually occur within seven to 12 days, OPH says.

A few days after symptoms begin, a red rash usually develops that starts on the face and spreads down the body to the arms and legs. This rash usually lasts four to seven days. Symptoms generally last from one to two weeks.

“Measles is a highly contagious viral respiratory infection caused by the measles virus,” the health unit said. “The measles virus lives in the nose and throat of a person who is infected and can be spread through the air, including from breathing, coughing or sneezing, and can survive in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.”

There have now been 10 cases of measles in Ottawa this year.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Trevor Arnason told CTV News Ottawa that cases of measles are not unexpected.

“We’re now up to 10 cases that we’ve seen in Ottawa this year, but we’ve seen very little, if any, spread within Ottawa, which is a good sign that our measles vaccination rates are high and therefore protecting the community, so the risk is low, but people should always be cautious in ensuring their vaccinations are up to date,” he said.

The last case of measles in Ottawa was reported in August, when officials said an individual was believed to have acquired measles while travelling in western Canada.

Two weeks ago, Public Health Ontario declared the measles outbreak in Ontario over after the province reported no new cases in 46 days.

Between Oct. 28, 2024, and Oct. 14, 2025, a total of 2,375 cases of measles in Ontario had been associated with the multi-jurisdictional outbreak across 26 public health units. The spread started on Oct. 18, 2024, after exposure to someone who had measles in New Brunswick.

Three of the five previous cases of measles in Ottawa had been linked to the outbreak.

Arnason said there did not appear to be any clear connection between these new cases and the recently ended outbreak in Ontario.

“This is not totally unexpected that we would see further cases of measles in our city. Again, it’s really just about people recognizing the importance of vaccination to protect themselves and making people aware that these exposures may have occurred,” he said.

According to the latest report from Public Health Ontario, there have been 47 cases of measles in Ontario not linked to the multi-jurisdictional outbreak.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond